Musings of a Future Baron - 2. A Night of Fire

Oathday, 15 Gozran 4710

We are on the road, our party vastly reduced already by events beyond our control. What’s worse, I have somehow become the leader of this small band of adventurers.

The night had already started off poorly, what with Keston rejecting my advances. Apparently he only likes ladies, despite being snubbed by one in the past. Oh well.

Things only soured from there. I was awoken in the dead of night by none other than Linzi, a band of assassins having broken in to… well, assassinate us. Wasting no time, I swiftly girded myself in my chain shirt, grabbing my bow before following Linzi from the bedroom.

All around us were signs of the assassins’ handiwork, corpses laying where they had been murdered. I am not ashamed to admit to some plundering; I am an adventurer first and foremost, and funds must come from somewhere. Even Linzi pocketed a few gold herself, though we were quick to move on.

It was fortunate we moved with haste, as we had to rescue several of our companions through the night. Most notably Tartuccio and Theofrid. The assassins seemed to be debating over which one of them to kill, but they ended up falling to our arrows first. Tartuccio tried to hand off a ring to me in gratitude. I accepted, not wishing to seem ungrateful for the reward, though I was naturally wary of putting on a ring I hadn’t had time to examine properly.

The two gnomes worked together quite well, and with fire and ice combined, they laid low most of the bandits we came across through the mansion halls, leaving little for Linzi and I to do ourselves. Not that I was complaining; I was running on pure adrenaline for much of the night, with little in the way of magic myself.

Even they could do little against a frost giant though, and we were forced to watch in horror as the beast shattered three of Lady Jamandi’s guards with a blast of ice. Fortunately, neither he nor the team of assassins with him noticed us, and they headed to the Grand Hall, collapsing the passage behind them. We had little choice but to pick a long path through a mansion we were unfamiliar with.

It wasn’t long before we reached a locked door. Upon close examination, Linzi mentioned that it was beyond her skill, though for some reason the door to Lady Jamandi’s armoury was not, as she picked that lock in seconds. We searched the room for a key, hoping and praying to find what we needed. I should say Linzi, Theofrid, and I searched. Tartuccio just hung back, his eyes glued to the treasury box containing the money for Lady Jamandi’s guards. Naturally, the bastard tried to convince us to pocket the gold, and naturally I put my foot down. FIrst of all, we were in the middle of an assassination. Second, who the fuck steals from an Aldori Swordlord in her own mansion? I’m not suicidal.

We found the key, using it to unlock the other door. Beyond, we found Jaethal, one of the darkest elves I have ever had the displeasure of meeting. She openly admitted to being undead. Who admits that?!

Surprisingly, Theofrid just nodded when that came out, as though he had already guessed. I’m not sure how I missed that, but I digress. Moving down the hall, our bard once again showed a surprising aptitude for mechanics as she disabled several traps set supposedly by the assassins. I mean, what maniac sets traps in her own mansion? Linzi pointed out the spread would have hit anyone passing down the hall no less than three separate times. Overkill, if you ask me, but then again, we got through, so perhaps it was merely prudence?

Beyond the hall, we found Harrim, a dour doomsaying dwarf, if you’ll forgive the alliteration. He was bemoaning a scraped knee, and seemed adamant that he was dying. Not wanting to be unkind, we helped him sip a potion, but when that had no noticeable effect on his attitude, I had to put my foot down. He was fine, no damage remaining on him, but if he stayed where he was, he’d meet his god in no time.

Deciding it was better to face his end elsewhere, Harrim agreed to come with us, offering the blessing of Groetus to protect us. I must admit it felt rather strange for a god of destruction to grant us his blessing, but it did see us through what came next, so I really have no room to complain.

We found Keston leading a squad of guards against a hall of flames, trying to keep the mansion from burning down. A few moments of conversation informed us that Lady Jamandi was beyond the burning hallway, and there were no other ways to the Grand Hall. There was nothing for it, we had to push through the flames.

Borrowing a bucket from the guards, we drenched ourselves in water before diving through the fire. Within the hall, we found one of the guards trying to save her companions from the flames. What could we do but try to help? Through sheer force of will, we battled the heat around us, emerging exhausted but victorious on the other side. The guard introduced herself as Valerie, Linzi’s eyes lighting up as she spied another likely hero for our story.

She made sure her companions were safe, before joining us in assault on the Grand Hall. Within, we found Lady Jamandi locked in single combat with the frost giant. She was a sight to behold, a true master of steel. But she was held by a veritable army of assassins, and it became obvious they were here to slay her or die trying. We would put an end to that.

Both Theofrid and Tartuccio moved forward, one gnome knocking near half a dozen assassins unconscious with a spell as the other burned them. Valerie moved to intercept a pair of assassins that turned their attention on Linzi and I while Jaethal supported the gnomes with a bloody scythe. I half expected her to lick the blade, but apparently even vampires don’t drink tainted blood.

My bow sang its glorious song, supported by a lute from Linzi. I had always heard of the magic properties of song, but the way the halfling belted out her own song, invigorating all of us… it was truly inspiring.

With her help, we slew the assassins easily, the last one toppling as Lady Jamandi ended the frost giant. It was truly a battle worthy of an epic tale. I can only hope Linzi recorded it for her story.

But then things fell into utter chaos. Tartuccio accused me of being a Pitaxan spy. Me, a half-human from Kyonin… it was outrageous. What’s worse, the ring he had gifted me was his proof, the seal of a King Irovetti supposedly on the golden band. I fished it out of a pocket, tossing it to Lady Jamandi with the honest explanation that Tartuccio had given me the ring, and that I had no idea who Irovetti was, nor even where Pitax was located.

Beyond that, the purple toad, as Amiri called him, accused me of breaking into the armoury, and even hesitating in the hall of fire, supposedly hoping that Lady Jamandi would perish in battle. It was truly outrageous, and while I apologised for breaking into the armoury, I also pointed out that the key within was the only way we had been able to reach the Great Hall.

To her credit, Lady Jamandi didn’t gut me on the spot. Instead, she put an end to the argument with a simple decision. The survivors would split up, and two parties would head out to the Stolen Lands. We would have three months to kill the Stag Lord and return for our reward. Beyond that time, the political situation in Brevoy would have devolved beyond any chance for success.

Near instantly, Harrim and Jaethal turned against me, siding with Tartuccio. Theofrid was a little more hesitant, but even he decided to go with Tartuccio, claiming that gnomes had to work together. Honestly, I respect that after a life of dealing with elves who looked down on me for being part human. It still hurt though.

Valerie surprised us all by asking Lady Jamandi if she could accompany my team. Linzi seemed ecstatic to have the fighter along, and I must confess, having Valerie with us makes me feel that much safer. There was no way Amiri was going with Tartuccio. She already threatened to hang his guts from a tree the next time she saw him. A little over the top for me, but her enthusiasm is appreciated.

So here we are, near forty miles out of Restov, camping under the stars. It is not the start I would have wished for our expedition. Honestly, the thought of leading a group into battle is terrifying. What’s worse, everyone seems to agree that I will end up with the coronet on my head. I don’t know the first thing about running an adventuring party, let alone a barony. But I suppose I have three months to learn.